- Texas Democrats left their state to block a redistricting vote by Republicans.
- Republicans seek to redraw districts to maintain a narrow U.S. House majority.
- Gov. Abbott criticized Democrats, threatening removal for not fulfilling their duties.
AUSTIN, Texas — Democratic lawmakers in Texas said on Sunday they were leaving the state to deny Republicans the quorum needed to redraw the state's 38 congressional districts, a move Republicans are seeking to protect their narrow U.S. House majority in next year's midterm elections.
President Donald Trump has championed the redistricting plan, telling reporters he expects the effort to yield as many as five additional House Republicans. Republicans hold a narrow 220-212 majority in the House of Representatives, with three Democratic-held seats vacant after members' deaths.
In a video shot in front of an airport, Democratic Rep. James Talarico said the redistricting plan amounted to "rigging" the 2026 elections.
"If you're seeing this video, my Democratic colleagues and I have just left our beloved state to break quorum and stop Trump's redistricting power grab," Talarico said in the video posted on X on Sunday.
Several other Texas Democrats said on X that they were headed to Illinois, whose governor is Democrat J.B. Pritzker.
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement late Sunday that any Democrat House member who did not return would be removed from the Texas House.
"Democrats hatched a deliberate plan not to show up for work, for the specific purpose of abdicating the duties of their office and thwarting the chamber's business," the Governor said in his statement, adding that leaving amounted to an abandonment of the office.
States are required to redistrict every 10 years based on the U.S. Census, but the Texas map was passed just four years ago by the Republican-dominated legislature. While mid-cycle redistricting occasionally takes place, it is usually prompted by a change in power at the legislature.
Republicans have pursued redistricting in a special legislative session that will also address funding for flood prevention in the wake of the deadly July 4 flash flooding that killed more than 130.
Under the current lines, Republicans control 25 seats, nearly two-thirds of the districts in a state that went for Trump last year by a 56% to 42% margin.
Redistricting experts have said the plan could backfire if Republicans try to squeeze too many seats out of what is already considered a significantly skewed map.
Contributing: Chandni Shah
